Year of the Arts: March at a Glance
With the arrival of spring, the Buffalo State campus will be bursting with poetry, dance, music, visual art, and theater.
The college’s commitment to the Year of the Arts continues to blossom and unfold as the school year progresses—with both visiting and homegrown artists giving us their best. See the full schedule.
March 1
“While We’re Young: A Tribute to Alec Wilder”
Pianist and singer Kathleen Landis will perform a collection of treasured cabaret and classical compositions by famed composer Alec Wilder at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium. At 12:15 p.m., Landis will give a discussion/demonstration, also at the Burchfield Penney, titled, “From New York’s Café Pierre to Buffalo’s Burchfield Penney,” focusing on the importance of Wilder’s work and how she made a career singing and playing the piano. Admission to the lecture is free. The evening concert is free for students and costs $5 for Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State staff and faculty. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 4
Writers and Poets Series
Buffalo State English professors emeriti Carole Brown Knuth and Craig Warner will regale listeners with poetry and stories from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. as part of the Burchfield Penney Writers and Poets series held in the center's auditorium. Knuth’s first collection of poems, When Morning Breaks, appeared in 2010. A second book will be published this year. Werner, who retired in 2011, has an interest is children’s literature and is well-known as a storyteller. The Poets and Writers Series, presented with support from the David and Ruth Lampe Poetry Endowment, is free and open to the public. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 7
Working
The Theater Department will present the musical based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book composed of interviews with American workers. The musical celebrates everyday people, from a parking lot attendant to a corporate executive, through songs that tell inspiring stories. Theater professor Drew Kahn directs. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. March 7-10 and 14-17, and at 2:00 p.m. March 10 and 17 in the Flexible Theater, Donald Savage Theater and Communication Building. (716) 878-3005 or www.buffalostate.edu/theater
March 8
Bob Dorough presents “From Bebop to Schoolhouse Rock!”
The longtime jazz-cabaret singer, songwriter, and author of songs for the children’s TV show Schoolhouse Rock!, Bob Dorough will present a discussion-demonstration and concert as the final installment of the High Standards: The Legacy of the Great American Songbook series. At 12:15 p.m. in Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium, audiences can hear Dorough discuss his career writing jazz classics, recording with Miles Davis, and creating the memorable songs that helped a generation of children grasp grammar, math, science, and history. He’ll also present a 7:00 p.m. concert, “From Bebop to Schoolhouse Rock!” The lecture is free to everyone. The concert is free for students and costs $5 for Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State faculty and staff, and $10 for the general public. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 9
James Vullo: Deconstructing Urbania
Opening celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the exhibit that will run through August 26 in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Vullo’s paintings depict an abstracted chronology of the architecture and physical evolution of Buffalo. Also known for making kites, Vullo transferred the geometric forms of his paintings to sculptural forms that occupied the skies of Buffalo’s lakefront. Admission is free for students, Buffalo State faculty, staff, and Burchfield Penney members. For the general public, admission is $10. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 9-11
Anything Goes
St. Joseph Collegiate Institute presents the Cole Porter classic musical about madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from London at 7:00 p.m. March 9 and 10 and at 2:00 p.m. March 11 in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Tickets cost $10-$25 and can be purchased through St. Joseph’s music office (716) 874-4955.
March 11
Getting Hip to Commercial Sexuality
Jamie Rackl, training and curriculum specialist for Planned Parenthood of Western New York, will guide Burchfield Penney visitors through the exhibition, Storyboard: The Sexual Politics of Jackie Felix, examining ways advertising often fosters an environment based on low self-esteem, inadequacy, and unrealistic sexual expectations for teenagers, 2:00–3:30 p.m. in the Collection Studies Gallery. Also, participants can watch the 45-minute video Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising Images of Women. Admission is free for students, Buffalo State faculty and staff, and Burchfield Penney members and $10 for the general public. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 13
Client #9
As part of the Crisis! film series, which uses contemporary films and expert commentators to explore the global economic crisis, Client #9 examines the rapid rise and dramatic fall of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer who succeeded in making himself "The Sheriff of Wall Street," when he was the country’s chief prosecutor of crimes committed by America's largest financial institutions. The free film begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Auditorium, followed by a discussion moderated by Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance; Albert Michaels, profess of history and social studies education; and Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at Buffalo State College. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 14
NASAD Student Exhibit
As part of the five year reaccreditation visit by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), students within Buffalo State’s five visual arts departments— fine arts, design, interior design, art education, and art conservation—will display the best of their work in a juried exhibit that opens March 14 and runs through April 5 in Upton Hall's Czurles-Nelson Gallery. The accreditation team will be on campus April 1-3 and will view the collection of approximately 65 pieces ranging from painting to furniture design, all of which has been selected by the visual arts major program faculty. A free reception with the students will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. April 2 in the gallery lobby. For more information, contact Stephen Saracino, professor of design, at (716) 878-4730.
March 15
Buffalo State Choral Concert
Hear poetry by Lord Byron, E. E. Cummings, Langston Hughes, and Octavio Paz set to music in the free concert, "Poetry into Song,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. The Buffalo State Choir, directed by Music Department faculty Victoria Furby and John Fleishman, will perform with the Buffalo Women's Chorus. Buffalo State is highlighting the educational value of music as part of “Music in Our Schools” month, and free-will offerings will be accepted to donate to the Buffalo Public School music program. (716) 878-3005. http://music.buffalostate.edu/
March 16
Walls of Sound: A Look Inside the House of Records and The Girl Next Door
Part of the Consider the Alternatives film series presented by the Burchfield Penney Art Center and the Communication Department, these two films examine parts of life in Oregon. First is David Gracon’s 60-minute film, Walls of Sound: A Look Inside the House of Records, at 7:00 p.m. It is a case study of an independent record store based in Eugene, Oregon, that struggles to exist in an era of digital downloading and the corporate consolidation of culture. Following is Julie Permini’s 21-minute experimental documentary, Girl Next Door, about a cluster of apartment dwellers in the artist’s North Portland, Oregon, neighborhood. The films are free to Buffalo State students, faculty, staff, and Burchfield Penney members. General admission is $5. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
David Benoit and Brian Culbertson, Piano 2 Piano Concert
Two of the highest profile keyboardists in contemporary jazz make a unique pairing on two acoustic grand pianos in an 8:00 p.m. concert in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Benoit and Culbertson will perform some of their best-known compositions, along with original music they’ve collaborated on specifically for this project. Tickets are $27-$35. Students can purchase $15 tickets one hour prior to show time. (716) 878-3005 and www.buffalostate.edu/pac
March 22
Spotlight WNY Choral Compositions from Buffalo and Beyond
The Vocalis Chamber Choir, founded in 2001, pays tribute to great choral work from the region. In the 7:00 p.m. performance in the East Gallery of the Burchfield Penney, the Vocalis Chamber Choir will spotlight Western New York compositions by Roland Martin, Persis Vehar, Marty Wimmer, Caroline Mallonée, Cary Ratcliff, Rob Paterson, Dale Adelmann, and Michael Slon. Admission is free for Buffalo State students, faculty, staff and Burchfield Penney members and $10 for the general public. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 24
Neglia Ballet: Spring Suites: Enjoy an evening of spectacular dance by Neglia Ballet in Spring Suites at 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. The evening will feature pieces ranging from classical to contemporary ballet, with a roster of national and international guest dancers and choreographers. Tickets are $18 for children, students, and seniors over age 60, and $25 for the general public. (716) 878-3005 and www.buffalostate.edu/pac
March 25
Dickens Reading
Buffalo State graduate student and local actor Chris Kelly simulates the reading tours that author Charles Dickens made throughout Great Britain and the United States. On those tours, Dickens would stand at a self-designed podium and read vivid passages from his best-selling novels. Thousands would buy tickets and crowd into theaters and town halls to hear him. Enjoy the simulated reading from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium. Free admission. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 27
Buffalo State Philharmonia: "The International Orchestra"
As part of the Buffalo State Faculty and Friends series, the Buffalo State Philharmonia will perform orchestral works dedicated to and in honor of specific international countries and cities, including Luigini, "Egyptian Ballet, Op. 12"; Stanford, "Irish Rhapsody No. 1"; Saint-Saens “March” from Suite Algerienne; Dvorak, "Prague Waltzes"; Waldteufel, "Espana Waltz, Op. 236"; Arnold, "Four Cornish Dances,” in this free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Paul Ferington, lecture of music, directs. (716) 878-3005 or http://music.buffalostate.edu/
Inside Job
Another in the Crisis! film series, Inside Job is Charles Ferguson’s compelling documentary that exposes America’s most celebrated academics “selling their souls” for money from bankers whose dealings led to a worldwide economic meltdown. The film begins at 7:00 in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium and is followed by a discussion and debate moderated by Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance; Albert Michaels, profess of history and social studies education; and Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at Buffalo State. Admission is free. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
March 30
Women’s Studies Research Symposium
As a tribute to Women’s History Month, participants in Buffalo State’s Women and Gender Studies program will hold a symposium from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center to showcase research, scholarship, and creative endeavors related to women, gender, and sexuality. The work has been produced at Buffalo State and other local colleges. Free. (716) 878-6011 or www.burchfieldpenney.org
Turtles Can Fly
As part of the Cinema Club series, Donn Youngstrom, chair and associate professor of theater, presents a free screening of the critically acclaimed film that focuses on a Kurdish refugee camp just before America’s second invasion of Iraq. The film, in Kurdish with English subtitles, begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Upton Hall's Warren Enters Theatre, with an introduction by Chantal Kross of Suriname. For more information, contact the International Student Affairs Office, (716) 878-5531.
March 31
Black Girls Anthem
Combining music, poetry, dance, and drama this performance illustrates the stories of six black women and explores the themes of motherhood, relationships, love, sisterhood, empowerment, and self-esteem. 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. The performance, which was rescheduled from January at Buffalo State, is part of a tour of the eastern United States that includes Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Georgia, and College Park, Maryland. Tickets are $25-$35. (716) 878-3005 and www.buffalostate.edu/pac